Traditionally, audio-based tacking methods have been limited to determining the location of a moving sound source. Such methods comprise mounting a sound source on a moving object. The location of the moving object is determined by tracking the audio signal by utilizing an array of microphones at known fixed locations. The sound source (e.g., speakers) requires power to generate the necessary audio signals. The sound source is also relatively heavy. Therefore, conventional audio-based tracking methods have not been utilized for head tracking applications such as gaming environments and the like.
Head tracking has been utilized in three dimensional animation, virtual gaming and simulators. Conventional computer implemented devices that track the location of a user's head utilize gyroscopes, optical systems, accelerometers and/or video based methods and systems. Accordingly, they tend to be relatively heavy, expensive and/or require substantial processing resources. Therefore, it is unlikely that any of the prior art systems would be used in the gaming environment due to cost factors.